A Rose, A Blaze
by RaynaMathews
Summary: Vallie Blaze Dixon was just a simple tattoo artist before the world went to shit. She had a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, and a nice little house in Georgia. Now she's running from biters and fighting to survive. Summary sucks, sorry, just read please. Daryl/OC starts at the farm. Rated mature for language, sex, etc.
1. Chapter 1

**I know, I know, I haven't written in a really long time. I'm not going to give false promises, but I do plan on continuing some of my stories. I'm seriously into walking dead right now though and Daryl fanfiction, so I'm working on this new story. Hope you guys enjoy, let me know what you think.**

Chapter One: The Girl Next Door

Her head was pounding, blood dripping down the side of her face, but she had long ago started ignoring the pain. Ever since the world went to shit, she had felt less and less pain, you kind of had to in a world like this. The blood blurred in her eyes and she knew the wound in her side was loosing too much blood, she needed help.

A loud giggle rushed through the trees and she froze, wondering if it was the heat, the blood, anything that was making her hear things.

"Help," she cried out, her voice hoarse and quiet. Maybe it wasn't her imagination. The giggle stopped and she tried again, "H-help me, please…"

She must have blinked because in the next instant, an Asian man and a short haired girl stood in front of her, weapons raised and pointed in her direction. She raised her shaky hands and wobbled a bit. "P-Please, I ain't bit… just shot…" She had to get help, they needed help.

They stared at her in surprise and speculation, they didn't know if they should take her or not, she couldn't blame them.

"What's your name?" The Asian man asked, lowering his weapons slowly.

She watched as the girl slowly lowered hers as well.

"I… I'm…" She paused, her eyes rolling slightly behind her eyelids. "Vallie Blaze D…" She didn't get to finish however, because her head was too clouded, too full. "Help us…"

And to their surprise, she fell to the ground in a heap of blood and bright red hair.

~#~

"Hershel! Hershel!"

Everyone at camp glanced up as Glenn and Maggie ran out of the woods. They headed towards the house as quick as they could, a small girl, maybe 17 or 18, in his arms. "Hershel!"

"What's going on?" Rick yelled, following after them and into the house. Hershel met them at the bottom of the stairs. "Is she bit?"

Maggie shook her head. "She's been shot I think, not bit though."

Hershel nodded, ushering them upstairs and into a bedroom. "Bring her in here. Lay her down. Maggie go get me some bandages and water."

Glen placed the girl on the bed and backed away, allowing Hershel to rip the girl's shirt off. "I want everyone out, now. When Maggie comes back up, send her in, the rest of you go downstairs and wait."

Rick nodded, pushing Glen, Shane and Dale down the stairs.

"What happened, Glenn?" Shane asked as they gathered in the kitchen.

"We found her in the woods," Glenn mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "We thought she was a walker at first, but she was asking for help. She said her name was Vallie Blaze. I think she was going to tell us her last name, but then she passed out. Brought her here but…"

He froze and they looked at him, waiting as he thought of what to say.

"What, Glenn?" Rick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She said 'help us', not 'help me' so I think there was someone with her when she was shot." Glenn took a deep breath and shrugged. "But we don't know who, she passed out before we could ask who or where they were."

Rick took a deep breath and nodded, leaning against the counter. "We don't know if it's a group or just a few people?" Glenn shook his head and Shane shot him a glare. "We should go check, take Daryl with us, he can track the girl back to where she came from, see if we can find who she was with then see what to do after that. Shane, you me and Daryl will go, scout it out first, then come back, tell the camp what's going on." Shane nodded and crossed his arms.

"We'll sneak up, make sure they don't see us if it is more than a few people," he said, turning to Glenn. "Go get the redneck, tell him what's going on."

When Glenn rushed off, Rick looked over at the stairs as Maggie came down the stairs. "Guys, you guys need to see this." Confused, they followed the girl up the stairs and into the room where Hershel was just finishing up stitching the gunshot wound on her shoulder. "Her tattoo," Maggie said, pointing to the large letters on the girl's side. "See it?"

Rick stared at the large black letters and frowned. "We know if it's him?"

"Not for sure, but how many do you know?" Hershel asked. "Only two right?"

Shane shook his head. "Ain't no way it's him. What's the chance that she'd show up here? Why would she have his name up her side?"

Hershel shook his head and began to wrap the girl's torso in bandages. "I wouldn't tell him about this, not until she wakes up and she can tell us if it's true. For now, I want no one in this room except me, Maggie, Beth or Rick, got it?"

They nodded and Rick turned his eyes back to the tattoo, a frown on his face as he read the dark word one more time.

Dixon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, so I'm loving this story so far. What do you guys think? Here's the next chapter, we get to see who Vallie was with and how Daryl finds out Rick's hiding things from him. Enjoy, warning for the language. (As an extra note, around the middle of this chapter we meet a little girl. Her middle name is spelled Merle, but it's pronounced Marlie.)**

Chapter Two: The Hunter's Girl

"What we doin' out here again? Looking for death?"

Rick rolled his eyes as Daryl led them through the forest, eyes following every move of every tree. They all had their weapons raised and followed close behind Daryl. "We're looking for someone. The girl said she was with someone, we don't know if it was just one someones or just one."

"Yeah, I got that, but why we lookin'?" He mumbled angerly. "Ain't non our business."

Before anyone could answer, Daryl held up a hand making them freeze. He pointed at the ground and shook his head. "This ain't right. She got turned 'round… no way she knew where she was goin'." He turned around a few times before finding the trail again.

"Come on."

Shane shot Rick an annoyed look and got a head shake in return.

They both hated the way the youngest Dixon acted so much smarter than them, but he didn't say anything.

"There," Daryl said, pointing to the small cabin. "Cain't hold no more than a dozen, maybe. Doubt there's that many." He motioned them forward and they moved quickly around the small cabin. Rick peaked in one of the boarded up windows and narrowed his eyes. "See anyone?"

"No, it's empty, just one big room and what looks like a closet." Rick mumbled, moving towards the door. He knocked lightly and called out. "Hello? My name is Rick, is there anyone in there?"

They waited a few seconds before Rick knocked again. There was a small whimper and Rick's eyes connected with Shane's.

"We can here you in there, are you okay?" He waited and frowned. There was no sound other then a very, very soft sniffle. "Can you tell me your name?"

"M-momma said n-never to tell no one ma name…"

Rick's eyes widened and he frowned, mouthing at the confused looking men behind him. "She can't be more than four or five." He sighed and knelt down, speaking to the door. "That's okay sweetie, how 'bout you tell me your middle name? You have a middle name right? That way you aren't breaking your mom's rules okay?"

There was a pause and they waited patiently. "M-Marle," she whispered.

They could tell she was closer to the door now, and Rick put down his weapon. "Okay sweetie, your mom, she's been hurt. We can take you to her, but I need you to open the door okay?"

Marle paused and sniffled again. "M-momma said not to twust no one… said bad men can hurt me, like they did her…"

"No one's going to hurt your mom anymore okay?" He sighed and tugged on the doorknob to find it locked. "Listen to me Merle, deep breaths okay? Your momma sent us to find you, so we could take you to her."

"What's her middle name?" The little girl asked.

Rick nodded and spoke. "She said it was Blaze, that's right?" He noticed when Daryl tensed beside him, but he said nothing. The door unlocked and Rick sighed, standing up and pushing it open. There was no one inside.

"Merle, where did you go?" Shane asked, his weapon raised and cautious.

There was a shuffle behind the door and it pulled closer to the wall. "How many are ya?"

"Three," Rick said, turning towards the front door. "I'm Rick, there's Shane and Daryl. Will you come out?"

"D-Daryl?" The question was soft, but it drew eyes to the confused Dixon. "D-Daryl what?" There was a pause as the hillbilly debated whether he should tell the child or not. "T-tell me! Daryl what?"

The Hillbilly sighed and lowered his weapon. "Daryl Dixon, ma name's Daryl Dixon, what's it to ya?"

The girl whimpered again before sticking her head out from behind the door. She was covered in dirt, head to toe, but Daryl's eyes widened at the bright red hair and big blue eyes. "Annabelle," he gasped, his crossbow falling to the ground. Tears fell from the little girl's eyes as she rushed forward. Daryl fell to his knees and wrapped the tiny girl in his arms. "Annabelle, oh angel yer okay."

"M-momma was hurt, and… and s-she towd me not to go no where or let no one in…" she mumbled, her little arms wrapped around his neck and she cried. "A-A mean man shot her…"

Rick raised an eyebrow as Daryl stood, the child still in his arms. "Momma's gun be alright, ya hear? Why don't ya get some rest, kay? I gotchya now, baby girl, I gotchya."

She nodded, her eyes already drifting closed.

It wasn't until they were well into the forest that Shane asked what was on all of their minds. "What the hell, Daryl? Who's the kid?"

Daryl glared at him, his arms wrapped protectively around the girl. "Non ya damn business, law man." He turned to Rick and raised his crossbow, ignoring the gun Shane raised in response. "Why didn't ya tell me bout Vallie?" He growled quietly, trying not to wake Annabelle. "Ya didn't think ta tell me bout her?"

"We didn't know you knew her," Rick said calmly.

"The giant tat on 'er side wit' ma name on it didn't say nuthin'?" He hissed, gritting his teeth. "Ya knew she was mine! Ya knew I knew 'er! And ya didn't tell me!"

Rick nodded, holding his hands up. "We should have told you, I apologize, but now is not the time." He pointed to the large white house that they could barely see through the trees now. "You need to take that kid to her mom. You don't have to tell us who they are, but you need to get up to that girl so she wakes up with a familiar face."

Daryl frowned but nodded, trying not to glare at the sheriff. "Thanks, Rick." When he got to the edge of the trees, he turned back to look at the man. "And she's ma wife."


	3. Chapter 3

**And I'm back! Hope you guys enjoyed that last chapter, I'm afraid I'm moving a bit to fast, but I'm going to try and slow it down. Vallie will be out for a while anyway ****. I love reviews so leave lots! Thank you again for reading! (Also a warning, I hate Lori so I'm making her a bitch, sorry guys.)**

Chapter Three: Lies of the Father

"Rick! Daryl! Shane! What's going on?"

The group turned to see Andrea and Lori rushing up to them, worry on their faces. "Who's the girl?" Lori asked, confused as to why Daryl was holding the little child.

"She's…"

"Just some kid we found in the woods," Daryl cut Rick off, earning him a strange, confused glance. "Ain't nuthin' to it. Girl at the house is 'er mom, 'parently. What's it to ya?" He growled, glaring at the two woman who never seemed to be able to keep their noses out of other people's business. No way was he letting them know he was soft. He loved his daughter, but there was no way he'd let them see him like this.

"Watch it Hick," Andrea hissed, pointing a finger at him. "It was just a question."

Rick held up his hands and sighed. "Calm down guys, her name is Annabelle. The woman upstairs, Vallie, said she was with someone before she passed out. We went to go see if it was a group of people or just one person. We found her holed up in some abandoned cabin in the woods." He said, trying to ease the tension around them. "Daryl's taking her up to her mom."

Lori looked at her husband in surprise then back at Daryl, then back at Rick. "You think that's a good idea?"

Daryl bristled and clenched his teeth. "What's that s'pose ta mean ya bitch?"

"Daryl, calm down," Shane warned, anger in his tone.

Rick raised an eyebrow at his wife and frowned. "I trust Daryl with her, you should too. We've been with him long enough to know that we can trust him. He's not a savage, Lori. There's no way he's going to hurt that little girl." He said, respecting Daryl's unspoken wishes about keeping her identity silent.

Lori scoffed and jabbed a finger at the man. "You think he's safe? He stumbled out of the woods last week with ears around his neck! EARS RICK!" She ignored the angered look Daryl gave her. "He's not mentally stable, not when he's been seeing his dead brother."

"He ain't dead!" Daryl yelled, waking the child in his arms.

"Daddy?"

They looked at the small girl who raised her head and rubbed her eye with her tiny fist. "Why ya yellin'?"

"Hush it, girlie. Just go back ta sleep." Daryl mumbled, not looking at the girl.

"See, he's not even nice to her, Rick." Lori stepped towards him and held her arms out, a sweet smile on her face. "Come on sweetie, let me take you up to your mommy. Get you away from this mean old man."

The child stared at her in sleepy confusion and Lori smiled, she'd always wanted a daughter.

"No," Annabelle said in a stern voice, much like her mothers. She wrapped her little arms around Daryl's neck and stuck her tongue out at the surprised Lori. "You yelled at my daddy, I don' like you."

Lori's eyes widened and she frowned, confused. "Sweetheart, he's not your daddy. Come here, I'll take you to your mom, she wants to see you I'm sure."

Daryl stepped back and glared at Lori, "Rick, you best control your woman 'for I take my knife ta 'er throat." Lori stepped back, fear and utter confusion in her eyes. Andrea opened her mouth to speak but Daryl simply shot her a glare. "Ya open ya fat mouth and I'll cut yer tongue out. Leave the kid alone. She's been alone for wa', two days?" Annabelle shrugged and he continued. "She was scared and prolly hungry. Leave 'er alone."

Annabelle giggled and stuck her tongue out at them, "Meanies."

There was a loud growl and Daryl raised an eyebrow down at his daughter. "Ya hungry, kid?" He laughed, surprising even Rick. "Let's get ya somethin' ta eat then take ya ta see ya ma."

As he turned to walk towards the house, Lori glared at Rick. "You're just going to let him threaten me like that? And let him take that girl? She's probably terrified, Rick!"

Rick sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Lori, you were a bit out of line. The girl obviously feels safe with Daryl. When we found her…" he paused, deciding on how much to actually tell her. "She ran right up to him, didn't even want to trust us, but when she saw him, she knew he'd protect her. Maybe it's because he look a lot stronger than us." He chuckled, shrugging. "Either way, she's Daryl's girl now. Leave her alone."

Lori looked at him in shock, her mouth hanging open. "Excuse me?"

But Rick didn't answer. He was too tired and too confused to deal with Lori today. He made his way back to the house, meeting Hershel in the kitchen. "How's she doing? Daryl get up there with the girl?"

Hershel nodded. "The girl was practically attached." He sighed and looked at Rick. "So we were right? She's Daryl's girl?" Rick nodded and the older man took a deep breath. "He's not going to like the looks he gets from the others when they find out. I'm assuming the girl is his daughter?"

"Her name is Annabelle," Rick mumbled, sitting on a chair at the island. "Pretty sure I almost saw Daryl cry when he saw her. Maybe I was just in too much shock and imagined it."

Hershel laughed but shrugged. "It is an odd thought that a guy like him has a family like that, but I'm no one to judge." He paused, staring at the water in his hand before sighing. "She wont wake up for a few days maybe, if she does wake up. She lost a lot of blood and it's hard to tell how she's doing with so little medical supplies. I was able to stop some of the pain, stitch her up, but I'm afraid that was the best I could do. Luckily I had some experience with gunshot wounds," he said grimly, sort of an apology to Rick about Carl though it seemed like so long ago.

"But she should be okay?"

He nodded, "She should be. I'll know more when she wakes up, but the bullet went clean through so she should be okay. I'm not going to promise anything though, especially not to Daryl."

"Yeah, you promise she'll be fine and she isn't… he'll flip his shit…"

Though he didn't like the language, Hershel agreed with Rick. Daryl could be cold hearted and seem like he didn't give a shit about anything, but he saw the look in the boy's eyes when he walked into that room and saw Vallie. He watched as Daryl went out everyday to look for little Sophia. He knew the hick had a soft spot, he knew he wasn't as soulless as he acted.

"Lori tried to take Annabelle from him." Hershel nearly spit out his drink and looked at Rick in surprise. "She didn't trust Daryl with a child, even after what happened with Sophia. I think she's just having a hard time, but she said he wasn't fit to watch a child."

"Does she know?"

Rick sighed and shook his head. "Daryl doesn't seem to want anyone to know yet. I think it's because if she dies, he can try to go back to normal without anyone batting an eye. If they know who the girl is and she dies, they'd expect a reaction that Daryl wouldn't be able to give." Rick stared at the stairs and shook his head. "They were obviously separated once before and you know how he is. If he lost her again, he'd probably just… go dark… he'd be empty, just like he is now. No one would think twice about it."

"But if she dies, and we knew who she was to him, he'd crack. They'd try to console him, try to apologize about everything…" Hershel nodded in agreement but Rick continued. "He only got mad about his brother, think about if she left him. He'd be more than angry…"

Hershel nodded. "Then we keep it between those who already know and those who have to. Until he's ready, we don't say anything."


End file.
